In the Hunt for Technosignatures, Researchers Now Say to Add Searches For Urban Lights on Alien Worlds
In the search for intelligent alien life, a research team now suggests looking for technosignatures that include urban lights on distant worlds.
Astronomy
Interstellar Archaeology: The Search for Non-Terrestrial Artifacts
If anomalous, non-terrestrial artifacts exist in space, using the best tools at our disposal through "interstellar archaeology" may find them.
Dark Matter Mystery Comes Into Focus With New Mapping of Distant Galaxies
For the first time, scientists have mapped the dark matter around distant galaxies in a cosmological analysis that studies high redshift galaxies, according to new research.
The Bright Side of the Moon
Interstellar travel would require major investments. Instead, first we should examine the objects that arrive in our solar system from interstellar space.
The Aristarchus Anomaly: What China Found on the Moon Could Help Solve a Centuries-Old Mystery
Astronomers have long reported sightings of mysterious flashes of light from within the Aristarchus crater, and new data could help scientists understand their source.
Upcoming Psyche Mission Could Help Determine if Asteroid is Actually a Protoplanet
NASA's Psyche mission scheduled for later this year may be able to determine whether a curious asteroid is in fact a protoplanet.
The First Bits of the Cosmos Caught in Webb’s Web
Could new data being obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope confirm past forecasts about our universe?
Space Dust Gives Asteroids a Rough Appearance, Latest Studies of Asteroid Bennu Show
Asteroids provide an extremely important resource for astronomers, which includes the way they help to unravel clues about planetary origins. During past impact events, these space rocks have also helped shape the surfaces of the Earth and Moon, and have...
Missing X-Rays in Black Hole Mystery May Be Explained in New Study of “Spaghettified” Star
Astronomers witnessed the shredding of a star by a supermassive black hole that “spaghettified” it in an event 215 million light-years away.
Stunning First Images From James Webb Space Telescope Mark “Dawn of a New Era” for NASA
The first complete set of images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, “the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope,” was just revealed by NASA.
James Webb Space Telescope First Image Unveiled in Early Preview at the White House
President Joe Biden has unveiled one of the first images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in an early debut at the White House.
The Sun Causes An Odd Phenomenon to Occur Every July at This “Perfect Moment”, Research Reveals
The sun causes this fascinating phenomenon to occur on Earth every July 8, which most people have been completely unaware of until now.
Dark Matter and The “Unsung Heroes” of Our Cosmic Past
Dark matter is one of the "unsung heroes", that reflects our level of ignorance about our cosmic roots.
International Asteroid Day: How the Puzzling 1908 Tunguska Event Prompted a UN Resolution
June 30th is International Asteroid Day, a date recognized by the adoption of a UN resolution commemorating the 1908 Tunguska event over Siberia.
Evidence of Non-Terrestrial Objects Surveilling Earth Could Be Revealed in New Research Effort
Evidence of non-terrestrial objects of intelligent origin could turn up in a place many wouldn't expect: images of the sky that predate the dawn of the Space Race.
Mysterious Transient Object Detected by Astronomers Packs a Powerful Pulsar Punch
Astronomers have spotted a transient object they say is unique—and potentially a lot more energetic—than past examples they have witnessed, according to new research.
Gravity Mystery Could Soon be Solved with Help From This Mind-Bending New Theoretical Model
Gravity remains one of the great mysteries of modern physics, and this Toronto-based researcher thinks a new theoretical model may finally help to resolve it.
Summer Solstice 2022 Continues an Ancient and Mysterious Astronomical Tradition
Today marks the arrival of summer solstice 2022, resulting in the longest day of the year and heralding the arrival of summer.
Did China’s “Sky Eye” Radio Telescope Detect Alien Signals? Not So “FAST”
China's Sky Eye telescope recently detected a series of "suspicious" signals, but are they signs of intelligent life, or something else?
Another Clue Origin of Life May Be Extraterrestrial
In yet another clue that the origin of all life may be extraterrestrial, NASA says it has found all pieces of DNA and RNA inside meteorites.
Future Spacecraft Will Use Pulsars to Navigate
Future spacecraft will be able to use the x-rays emitted by pulsars to navigate in the vastness of deep space.
Exoplanet Specialist Sara Seager is Rebelliously Curious
Learn what steps researchers are currently taking to find life on another planet
Learn what steps researchers are currently taking to find life on another planet
The Debrief’s intrepid host Chrissy Newton talks to MIT astrophysicist, planetary scientist, and exoplanet specialist Sara Seager.
Group Preparing to Send Messages to TRAPPIST-1
A group known as Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) is preparing to send digital messages to the Trappist-1 exoplanet system.
COSMIC SETI is Going Large in the Search for Technosignatures
After decades of scanning the heavens for technosignatures, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is about to go large.
Ice Volcanoes Make Pluto Target in Search for E.T.
Ice volcanoes spotted on Pluto’s surface mean conditions may exist within the dwarf planet to support extraterrestrial life.
Panspermia: Meteors and Spores to the Fore
What is the evidence for the controversial theory of panspermia? Could simple forms of life really survive in outer space?
NASA’s Airborn Observatory SOFIA Makes Its Way to South America to Study Nearby Galaxies
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is equipped for scanning the South American skies with a reflecting telescope mounted aboard a Boeing 747SP.
NASA’s Roman Telescope to Directly Image Exoplanets
Program Will Narrow Gap to Directly Imaging Earthlike Exoplanets
Program Will Narrow Gap to Directly Imaging Earthlike Exoplanets
NASA is currently building the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope in hopes of directly imaging smaller and fainter exoplanets.
NASA Funds Next Phase of Exoplanet Hunting Starshade
NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has granted new funding to develop a working orbital starshade.
Complex Organic Molecules Found within Planetary Disc
Discovery Will Help the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Discovery Will Help the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Astronomers have detected the complex organic molecules dimethyl ether and methyl formate within a star’s planetary-forming disc.
Tech Talk Episode 4: Space Telescopes
In this episode of The Debrief’s Tech Talk, we look at 54 years of science since the launch of the first space telescope in 1968.
The Search for ET: What Do the Best Scientists in the Milky Way Know?
An encounter with an ET culture would be a humbling experience, since we will have to admit that our modern science was developed only over the past century out of the 4.5-billion-years-long history of Earth.
Tatooine-Like Exoplanet Confirmed
Discovery Expected to Aid the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Discovery Expected to Aid the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Astronomers have confirmed an exoplanet orbiting two suns similar to Luke Skywalker’s fictional home Tatooine in the 1977 movie Star Wars.
The Milky-Way’s Gifts to Life Expectancy
We live in the gravitational potential well of the Milky Way galaxy, and therefore we age more slowly than the cosmos at large. By how much?
Mind the Gap: A Lesson in Cosmic Stoicism
If human beings ever locate and interact with an extraterrestrial civilization, how will we play 'realpolitik' with them?
Evidence of Habitable Zone Planet Found Lurking in Orbit Around White Dwarf
Researchers studying a white dwarf star say they have detected signs of a possible planet orbiting within the star’s habitable zone.
Newly Discovered Trojan Asteroid Has Same Orbit as Earth
Rare Space Rock Could Service Future Deep Space Missions
Rare Space Rock Could Service Future Deep Space Missions
Physicists have discovered a Trojan asteroid orbiting the Sun at the same distance as Earth, only the second such space body discovered.
Mysterious 18-minute Radio Pulses Are Not from “Little Green Men”
On January 26, 2022, a group of astronomers authored a report about mysterious radio pulses repeating periodically every 18.18 minutes from a source in the sky labeled GLEAM-X.
New Planet Found Orbiting Proxima Centauri
Scientists have detected signs of a third planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, which is Earth’s closest stellar neighbor.
Stellar Engines: As Galaxies Emit Light, Their Expansion Reveals a Unique Phenomenon
Our observation of the behavior of galaxies reveals phenomena that have received surprisingly little attention in the scientific literature.
AI: Intelligent Adaptation, or Barbarian Duplication?
Once we begin sending our assets to other planets, what should be our goal? There are two basic choices: AI, or the way of the barbarian.
Exoplanet Atmosphere Mapped by Researchers
Results Will Help Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Results Will Help Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Researchers have created a three-dimensional map of the atmosphere of an exoplanet 322 light-years from Earth. The resulting 3D map of the swirling gases surrounding the Jupiter-like exoplanet is not only an astronomical first, but it should also help inform...
“Ghosts” of the Early Universe Reveal Clues, and Controversies, About the Formation of Galaxies
Astronomers have learned surprising things from the oldest and most distant galaxies in our universe, a search that has also led to a few controversies.
Are Earthlike Planets Plentiful Throughout the Milky Way?
Earthlike planets, which might have features like continents and liquid water on their surface, may be plentiful across the Milky Way galaxy.
“Death Star” Moon Mimas May Have a Subsurface Ocean
Saturn’s moon Mimas, sometimes called the Death Star moon, may have a subsurface ocean capable of supporting extraterrestrial life.
The James Webb Space Telescope Has Just Reached its New Home in Space
The James Webb Space Telescope will soon begin its long-anticipated mission of peering more deeply into the history of space than any telescope has ever done.
Mars May Have Had an Ocean Three Billion Years Ago
New research indicates Mars may have had a liquid ocean on its surface 3 billion years ago even if the surface temperature was freezing. Furthermore, the researchers behind the study say that such an ocean may have been able to...
Astronomers Spot Second Ever Exomoon Candidate
Discovery May Mean Exomoons are Common, Increasing the Odds of Extraterrestrial Life.
Discovery May Mean Exomoons are Common, Increasing the Odds of Extraterrestrial Life.
Astronomers studying a huge, Jupiter-like exoplanet say they have successfully detected a moon in its orbit. Although this is only the second such “exomoon” spotted thus far, the location and overall circumstances of the find supports the idea that exomoons...
China’s Tianwen 1 Uses Second Spacecraft to Take Selfie
After hanging around the Martian orbit for nearly a full calendar year, China’s Tianwen 1 spacecraft launched a tiny secondary spacecraft to take some pictures. As a result, the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) released some of those pictures on...
Are Plumes on Enceladus from Underground Oceans?
Plumes of steam that erupt from the surface of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus may not actually prove the existence of an underground ocean. Most theories indicate these oceans do exist, but a new study proposes an alternate cause for the...